


When You Know

by goingtothetardis



Series: 300 Followers Milestone Prompt Fics [7]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Fluff, Introspection, Light Angst, Post-Episode: s04e13 Journey's End, Romance, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-12
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-05-13 12:10:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5707573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goingtothetardis/pseuds/goingtothetardis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It might take some time to get to know each other again, but eventually they'll know where they belong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When You Know

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crazygirlne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazygirlne/gifts).



> **Petrichor** \- The smell of dry rain on the ground.  
>  **Mamihlapinatapei** \- The look between two people in which each loves the other but is too afraid to make the first move.
> 
> Follower milestone prompts, prompted by aimtoallonsy on tumblr.
> 
> Thanks to caedmonfaith for giving this a quick read through.

They’d not lingered in London. 

The Doctor had thrown together a specialized growing cell for the TARDIS coral in the basement of Pete’s mansion, a project accelerated after Rose had unceremoniously presented him with the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver from the parallel universe with Donna. Rose had requested an indefinite leave of absence from her job at Torchwood, one that had been granted without question after her role in saving the multiverse. 

They’d not spoken about the important things, instead choosing to do what they do best and ignore the mountain of questions and doubts they’d had for each other after years apart. 

_Who are you?_  
_Are you the Doctor?_  
_Why did you come back for me?_  
_Did you miss me?_  
_Why did the other Doctor leave me?_  
_Why did he leave us?_  
_Do you love me?_

Well, that last question had been answered for Rose on that desolate beach in Norway, but not by the one she’d expected to say it. Not by the one she’d searched for and found. This Doctor was, well, she’d not asked him who he was and tried in her heart to believe it was really the Doctor. Somehow. His Time Lord tricks were a bit much, sometime. 

Rose had taken a portion of her substantial savings and, while the Doctor was working on the TARDIS cell one day, purchased a sleek SUV in a color as close to TARDIS blue as she could find. Knowing the Doctor’s clothing size, she’d gone shopping for them both, purchasing the barest of essentials for traveling, knowing they could pick up whatever they needed, wherever they ended up. She’d retrieved the Doctor’s psychic paper from Pete’s safe, the one item of the Doctor’s she’d had with her when she’d slipped from the lever in Torchwood Tower, and had found the Doctor in the basement. The TARDIS needed to grow without disturbance for roughly six months without any more meddling from the Doctor.

“Is she ready?” She’d asked.

“For now.”

“Come outside with me? I have an idea.” Rose had taken the Doctor by the hand and led him outside to the car.

“Allons-y?” She’d asked.

His answering smile had been enough.

And so they’d traveled. For months. All over Great Britain, all over Europe, before crossing the ocean, SUV in tow, to North America, and along the way they’d learned the ways of this universe, the history of this world, while bringing their own special blend of compassion and adventure to all those they met. 

They’d held hands, naturally and instinctively. 

_Rose wiped a bit of mustard from the Doctor’s chin with her thumb while eating hot dogs in Central Park._

They’d fought, long and tearful fights, old wounds finally coming to light in the form of cutting words and angry voices. 

_The Doctor held Rose’s right hand in the hospital, jaw clenched in worry, after she’d broken her opposite arm in a rock climbing excursion in the Czech Republic._

They’d laughed, together or at each other, it didn’t matter.

_Rose bought the Doctor his own wand and wizard cloak at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, and they’d toasted mugs of butterbeer together to ring in the new year at The Hog’s Head._

And slowly, over botifarras in Barcelona (the city, not the planet) and while hiking the Cinque Terre in Italy and swimming in Lake Bohinj in Slovenia, the Doctor and Rose started to ask the important questions, the ones they’d pushed aside for so long, the ones time had soothed and made easier to bear. 

Until one day, one day standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon with storm clouds rumbling in the distance and the distinct fragrance of impending rain infusing the air, they knew. They both knew.

Well, the Doctor had never stopped knowing, had never stopped loving a certain blonde human who’d defied the laws of the universe to be by his side. But now he knew who he was; he was the Doctor, a bit more human, but still the Doctor in all the ways that mattered. And at the core of his being, the one who made it all worthwhile, this crazy new adventure on the slow path, was Rose Tyler. 

And Rose finally understood and believed, without question, that the man whose hand she reached for, the man who she reserved that special tongue touched smile for, and the man whose very soul fit to hers like they were made for each other, was the Doctor. His hand was, quite literally, the same hand that reached for hers all those years ago in a dark basement, and oh, how she loved him. 

They stood, hand in hand, watching lightning dance across the dark sky, illuminating the vast canyon below, and they turned to each other, eyes soft and expressions loving, with hearts finally together and at peace.

The Doctor squeezed her hand.

“How long are you going to stay with me?”

Rose’s answering smile outshone the lightning. 

“Forever.”


End file.
